MARTIN: AGE IS JUST A NUMBER AGAINST BOYLAN

Tommy Martin says he’ll prove right the adage ‘if you are good enough, you are old enough’ when he challenges Ricky Boylan for the vacant English Light Welterweight title at The O2 on January 31, live on Sky Sports.

The 20 year old says he has been told on Twitter that he is too young to be facing the 26 year old Boylan for the title, two months before he turns 21.

Martin and Boylan both fought at the Greenwich venue in their last outings in October with Martin stopping Matty Tew in the seventh round of their battle before Boylan dropped a majority decision against Tyler Goodjohn for the English strap, and the Cambridgeshire youngster says that he is happy to be the underdog as momentum is in his favour.

“People have been saying that I am too young to fight for the English title – they are forgetting that I was in an eliminator and stopped Matty Tew inside 10,” said Martin. “Why would I not take this opportunity? To be English champion at 20 years old would be great. It’s a fight Johnny Eames had no hesitation in taking and every day I was going into the gym and asking Johnny to get me this fight or that fight and he was saying no, but the second that Eddie Hearn text him about the fight, he took it in a heartbeat and that says everything about how confident we are for this fight.

“It’s a step up, but that’s what I am here to do. I believe Ricky is made for me and that I will show I can handle this level. I thought that Ricky would beat Tyler and he’d defend against me, but the fight is on now for the vacant belt anyway and it’s the one that I wanted. I am not stupid, I know that Ricky and his team are looking at this fight as a comeback win for him, but it’s not going to happen – people can keep going against me, that’s fine, I’ll just make my friends and family some nice dough when I beat him. It’s going to be a cracker, I have no problem with him, its business and we’re in each other’s way – something has to give.”

Martin’s clash with Boylan is part of a huge night of title fights in London as Olympic hero Anthony Joshua MBE defends his WBC International Heavyweight title against Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson.

Kevin Mitchell faces Daniel Estrada for the vacant WBC Silver Lightweight title and an eliminator for the World title, John Ryder defends his WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title against experienced Australian Les Sherrington and there are two cracking domestic derbies as Tommy Martin meets Ricky Boylan for the vacant English Light Welterweight title and John Wayne Hibbert defends his WBC International Light Welterweight title against Tyler Goodjohn.

Team GB star Charlie Edwards makes his hotly anticipated pro debut on the bill, as does Cruiserweight Isaac Chamberlain, as Ohara Davies, Ben Hall and Lee Markham make their first appearances in 2015.

Only £40 tickets are available for the show at www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202.

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